Mumbai Unbound: Back after a hiatus...

10 months since I started my MBA, 10 months and 1 blog post!
Was looking back at this page after such a long time and realized just how fast time flies.
Things have sure come a long way since then...

The last minute assignment submissions, numerous night outs, surprise quizzes, guest lectures etc have only justified the hectic MBA stories I had heard prior to joining the course.
After an initial settling down period you gradually start liking the madness of it all. It took me months to come to terms with the hustle and bustle of Mumbai - now I feel its an intergral part of me.

It'll take me ages to write about my MBA journey - for now I am glad just to have resumed writing.
Till next time folks! Its close to 4:00 am and time for me to hit the sack ...cya

Thanks to Debasis Sir, Preeta Ma’m and Lalwani Sir

As the classes of microeconomics, macroeconomics and finance were coming to a close the students of the Public Relations committee of PGDSM MIT junior batch came up with the initiative of expressing their gratitude in a special way. Much to the surprise of Debasis Sir and Preeta Ma’m they were presented with a card and memento after their classes were completed. Adding value was the fact that the ‘Thank You’ card was signed by all the 60 participants of the batch :)

The class enjoyed the teaching methodology and the enthusiasm that the faculty had towards making economics fun to learn. Avdhut aptly remarked that these economic sessions made them comprehend ‘Economic Times’ better!!

The card for Debasis Sir was aptly addressed – “To someone whose marginal utility will never diminish”. Preeta Ma’m’s was addressed – “To someone whose macro image will never always stay with us”.

Prof. Debasis wished the class for all their future endeavours and also said that that was a very memorable day of his life. Preeta Ma’m also expressed her appreciation by saying that such moments make a teachers life more special. The class cheered them on.

A similar card was presented to Prof Lalwani when the financial accounting classes came to a close. Financial Accounting, an unfamiliar subject for many was made interesting and fun to learn. In his address to the class Lalwani Sir remarked that enjoyed teaching such a lively batch of participants!!

And of course, the card to Lalwani Sir said – “To someone who brought the ‘Mavji Bhai’ in each of us” :)

Trek to Kemmanagundi

It’s been a couple of weeks since we went trekking in this beautiful hill top region nestled in the Chickmagalur region of Karnataka but I got time to make a blog entry only now.

With very little prior preparations a group of us from office set out for this picturesque hill station on a Friday night around 220 kms from Bangalore. Info available on the net indicated that the best way to reach the place is by your transport and so we hired our own private vehicle. The journey went pretty smooth and it took us only 7 hours to reach the place! This was amazing cos many other places I've been to in Karnataka require almost an entire night of tedious bus journeys. Needless to say we hardly slept:) We were also lucky to have a fabulous stereo system on board!

As most of us were not really tired we set out for the trek to Hebbe Falls early morning after a refreshing cup of tea. The lodge by the Forest Horticultural Dept is well maintained and you can almost be assured of a room booking without earlier confirmation. Initially the trek route was pretty even with hardly any flora and fauna. You could find few isolated trees and lots of barren land. It was only much later that we realized we were completely on the wrong track! There were hardly any folks around and after a detour we managed to find the right path to the water falls. In between we had to cross many small rivulets of water while also ensuring that we don’t loose our balance on the wet rocks :)

The water falls itself was stunningly beautiful! Gushing down from a height of 168 m the droplets of water streaking our faces was incredible. But sadly the water was freezing cold!! Except for a few spirited guys none of us managed to get into it! We waited until noon hoping that the temperature of the water would rise but no luck :(
we just enjoyed it from afar!

None of us were in any shape to make the return 12 kms journey back to the lodge by foot :P and hence we hired a jeep. Had a nice bumpy jeep ride back. Luckily for us the lunch at the lodge was pretty good and made up for the lack of breakfast. In the evening we decided to skip the trek to the famous "Z" sunset point and instead just wandered around in the beautiful hilly region. Lazy people us :)

After a rather huge dinner spread at Chikmangulur we headed back and reached Bangalore during the wee hours of Sunday morning. All in all a good break from the daily activities and what made it truly memorable was the natural beauty of the place. A must visit for people who have never been there before!

Nick of time..

Phew! Had a near brush with a near fatal accident yesterday evening. Am still recovering from the numbness. Not anyone's fault really - just one of those things...

Now before you start wondering whats this all about let me get to the point :) I was walking back to office from Brigade Road last evening with my good pal Ramya when all of a sudden a BMTC bus came zooming at us from behind. The driver applied the brakes in the nick of time! Could almost feel the huge bus a few inches from us. I had never felt so close to death before..am sure that if the driver had not used his presence of mind things could have gone bad. Anyways alls well that ends well and am glad I am here typing this blog today :)

Yo Bangalore!

Growing up in this beautiful city of Bangalore I am intrigued by the number of changes it has gone through over the years. Some for the better, others not so.

I simply love this city - everything including the traffic and the pollution: p That sounds a little far fetched but considering the benefits it has to offer I would prefer not to live anywhere else. The vibrant mix of people, the innumerable hangouts, the many professional opportunities and the nightlife all add to its beauty and charm. Added to it the happy go lucky attitude of most folks here make Bangalore the ideal place to live in! I remember as a kid the eagerly awaited trips to Vidhana Soudha and Cubbon Park where all we wanted to do was munch roadside corn with no care in the world. Another definite advantage is the fantastic weather we are pampered with :)

Things do not remain the same however and changes were bound to occur. Although in Bangalore’s case I do believe that many of them are actually good! The IT/Biotech revolution has paved the road for exciting opportunities along with putting Bangalore on the global world map. And the quality of life has definitely improved! The amount of money a young engineer makes when he just starts out these days is probably what his parents used to do when they reached middle age.

But like most things everything is not so rosy. The burgeoning crowds makes me long for that good old Bangalore when one could walk freely on the streets without risking the chance of being brushed aside by someone else walking on the same side of you! Everywhere one goes the first thing that strikes is the crowds and the traffic. Just visit some mall like Forum Koramangala on a weekend and you’ll know exactly what I mean :P

But yeah all said and done am glad that my Dad took the decision of moving to this city nearly a quarter century ago and me getting the chance to grow up here :)

On another unrelated note I am really peeved with India’s poor show in its first match of the World Cup :( Was definitely expecting a much more mature performance. But the die-hard optimist in me still refuses to lose hope and am sure we’ll be back with a bang!

I've learned...

Everyone once in a while you get a forward that really makes u sit up and think. This is one of them which I came across while clearing my mailbox just now. And instead of doing a Shift+Del I thought its better to put it up here so that I come back to it when I want to :)

Its amazing how the author captures a wealth of wisdom in a few crisp words. And at no point does he hint of any regret although one might be inclined to think so based on the title.
I feel life is all about experiences and learning from them. If u're gonna do everything the correct way the very first time round there wouldnt be any fun would it? Instead its so much more enriching to live life to the fullest and learn from the mistakes along the way..

Now instead of digressing further lets get to the mail :p
I've highlighted the ones I really liked :)
>>

I've learned....
That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for

I've learned....
That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned....
That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned...
That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and
loved.

I've learned....
That the Lord didn't do it all in one day. What makes me think I can?

I've learned....
That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I've learned....
That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned...
That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I've learned...
That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I've learned....
That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I've learned....
That there's nothing sweeter than sleeping with your babies and feeling their breath on your cheeks.

I've learned...
That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've learned....
That life is tough, but I'm tougher.

I've learned...
That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

I've learned....
That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I've learned...
That I wish I could have told those I cared about that I love them one more time before they passed away.

I've learned....
That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've learned....
That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I've learned....
That I can't choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.

I've learned....
That when your newly born child holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.

I've learned....
That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned....
That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

I've learned ...
That it is best to give advice in only two circumstances; when it is requested and when it is a life threatening situation.

-- This is Rex Barker C.S. (Carefully Studying life) saying that I've learned.... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

I say a little pray for u..

"Good friends add a little sparkle of joy to each and every day"
"Friendship is the inexpressible feeling of feeling safe with someone cos u neither have to weigh your words nor measure your thoughts."

The above two quotes are my favorites when it comes to friendship and the importance of friends in my life. I have always believed that having a set of good pals can brighten up any day. I have been lucky to have had such friends all through my life - ppl whom I know will stand by me no matter what. All I need to do is make one phone call :) And by this I do not mean the innumerable acquaintances that one encounters all the time. I would rather have a set of a few close pals rather than many fair weather ones.